Whether it was the fruit con maggots, the roasted corn with hunks of
tepid pork fat, or the salad (stupid stupid) I will never know, but
food poisoning is no fun. A 6am rush to the toilet was followed by an
uncomfatable day of sleep and nausea, making this a good day to sit
down and reflect upon the past days.
Tommorows are slipping into yesterdays far too quickly, and I
already feel my depature date rushing towards me. Quito has been a
great place to start, getting me used to the language, trafic and
people, but there is a whole continent to explore and less than 6
months left.
Like a rusted machine, Spanish is slowly moving into
place. Words and prepositions are emerging from the fog, and I can
understand alot more now. Some phrases and replies come without the
need to think in english, and its a great buzz to have a conversation,
no matter how basic and slow. After a few frustrating lessons with a
teacher who couldn´t teach or speak English, I´ve taken matters into my
own hands, and with a photocopied grammar book have begun tackling
structure, prepositions and the dreaded spanish verb, as changable as
Quito´s weather.Suprisingly quickly but painfully slow, Spanish is becoming familiar.
Volunteering
is good now I can understand and communicate with the kids abit more,
Still need to get on top of all the songs. I´ve had some doubts about
the value of the sessions, but anytime the kids have learning, playing
and sharing must be good for them, but Ecuador has few oppurtunities
for education and getting out of poverty. Volunteers are coming
quickly, with the Americans spring break over now we have 2 Canadians,
2 Aussies and a girl from Holland. Its suprisingly comforting to have
the Aussies around to tease and joke with, but it makes me miss NZ.
A
weekend trip to Baños, 3 or so hours south, was a nice change of
scenery. A major tourist town, Baños was packed due to easter weekend,
and had a great buzz. During the day bands where playing in the park,
and vendors preparing the local toffee, tore, threw and twisted long
plaits together from hooks. Stocking up at a local market, we spent the
day exploring the town, swimming in the supposedly holy water (a
crowded little swimming pool) and then walking the streets at night,
packed with people and street food. I settled on the Guinea Pig soup,
which was slimy yet satisfying as Pumba would say. We wandered into a
church, which I can safetly say was the most beautiful buildingI´ve ever set foot in, High arched ceilings and huge oil paintings adorning the walls. Simpl
e in comparison to Quitos catherdrals that drip with tonnes of gold (no
christian modesty here) it was much the better for it. On return to the
hostel I dropped both my singlet in the toilet and my tooth brush down
the drain, much to the amusment of the token Aussie, Mel. The next day
involved Absailing waterfalls with 2 insane guides, Mels bag being stolen at a bus station, and a tiring ride home.
After weeks of searching I also found some honey, but thats another story. Until then, Peace and Love and all that,
Ross
